Rapid business development has community leaders working to find housing for the expected influx of blue-collar workers.
Business is especially booming in the Payson Business Park, where several new projects are under way. The largest is a manufacturing and distribution center for Knaack Manufacturing of Crystal Lake, Ill.Knaack may eventually employ several hundred people, and company officials are wondering where all the welders and other employees will live. Knaack recently informed Payson city officials of its concerns regarding the lack of affordable housing in Payson.
"Everyone knows that getting rental housing in Payson is . . .. is `impossible' the right word?" said Paul Blanchard, economic de-velop-ment director, at a recent Chamber of Commerce luncheon. "It's been a concern to a lot of people."
Several business owners at the meeting said Payson's lack of affordable housing forces their children, many of whom are just starting families and careers, to move out of town. The number of apartment complexes in Payson can be counted on one hand, and only a few duplexes are scattered throughout town.
City officials hope most of the employees hired by Knaack will be laborers already living in Payson. However, the jobs they vacate likely will attract skilled workers from out of town, making an already tight housing market even worse.
For years, it has been difficult for developers to jump through the expensive hoops required by the city and still make a profit on multifamily housing units. Many developers have taken their pro-jects instead to cities like Spanish Fork, where building ordinances are more friendly.
"We have recognized a problem, and we're starting to do something about it," said Rex Wilkerson, manager of the Payson branch of Zions Bank.
Wilkerson, past president of the Chamber of Commerce board, said the demand for multifamily units and low-end starter homes in Payson has long outstripped the supply.
As they look at opening the door to more affordable housing, community leaders should consider spreading the units throughout town to avoid creating slum areas, Wilkerson said.
City planner Andy Hall said he is trying to identify areas of town where the existing infrastructure can support dense housing without causing problems. Hall said, however, density is not the only answer to affordable housing.
He is working with the City Council to revise the city's development ordinances. Officials hope the streamlined process will attract developers who have shied away from projects in Payson.
Realtor Ken Orton of the Nebo Agency has been involved with several development projects in town. He helped put together the Mountain View and Mountain View East apartment complexes, which are federal government-subsidized units located near Mountain View Hospital.
Orton has also been involved in developing the Park Place Town-homes, which are still under construction on the east side of town. He said the town homes, though not inexpensive to rent, could be considered affordable housing for those looking to buy.
"They're just about the only thing you can get for under $100,000 and call your own," he said.
There's a small complex of apartments in the southwest part of town near Smith's, but not much else except for a smattering of duplexes. City officials say the market pressure - combined with simplified administrative procedures - should change all that. Knaack hopes it happens soon because its facility is scheduled to be operational within a couple of months.
Payson's housing difficulties are exacerbated by the lack of affordable housing in nearby communities. Multifamily units are rare in most of Utah County south of Spanish Fork.
Demand for housing other than single-family units is not high in small agricultural communities like Salem, Santaquin and Goshen. Years ago, Payson was in the same category.
But business development and a growing population in Payson - the city now boasts approximately 11,000 residents - have exposed the lack of housing and forced young couples and blue-collar workers to move north.